InterMat Staff

The NAIA No. 3-ranked Dana College Vikings faced some stiff Division I competition on Saturday at the annual Nebraska Duals held at the NU Coliseum on the University of Nebraska campus. The Vikings faced NCAA No. 23-ranked Cal Poly (1st in PAC 10) in the first dual and then followed up with a showdown with Oregon State, who is currently No. 3 in the PAC-10 standings behind Cal Poly and Arizona State. Cal Poly was too much for the Vikings, defeating Dana by a score of 41-3, with the lone victory coming from senior Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.), winning a decision at 157 over Ryan Williams, 8-6. Cal Poly followed the defeat over Dana, by pulling an upset over the No. 11 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 21-19. Dana Head Coach Steve Costanzo regrouped the Vikings in order to put up a good showing against the Beavers of Oregon State. Oregon State was 2-0 coming into Saturday with dual wins over Hofstra (ranked No. 22) and in-state rival, Oregon. Dana College has never defeated a Division I opponent in dual competition. The Vikings won five of ten matches and managed a 20-20 tie with the Beavers. Junior George Roath (Kansas City, KS) started out the dual at 149. Roath dropped a major decision to Orlando Perez, 13-2. Senior Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.) would get the Vikings back on track by receiving a forfeit from the Beavers at 157. Senior Trent Leichleiter (Harvard, Neb.) kept the streak alive with an 8-4 decision over Anthony Weber. Senior Marshall Marquardt (Altoona, Iowa), who was undefeated in dual competition this year, lost his second match of the day to Jeremy Larson by major decision. Senior Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.) bounced back from a loss against Cal Poly to rack up a 13-5 major decision over Neal Beaudry. Senior Blair Alderman (Spokane, Wash.) faced two tough opponents on the day, facing the No. 9 ranked Montero from Cal Poly and then No. 20 ranked Dan Pitsch from Oregon State. Pitsch claimed an 8-3 decision over Alderman. At heavyweight, No. 18 ranked Ty Watterson won by fall over Armando Montoya (Las Vegas, N.M.). At 125, junior Craig Trampe (Ord, Neb.) scored in the final seconds of the match against Eric Stevenson to avoid the major decision and only giving up three team points, losing 11-4. Freshman Sonny Silva (Kimberly, Idaho) would make his varsity debut at 133 and made a lasting impression. Silva was winning his bout 5-0, but needed to score a major decision to give the Vikings another bonus point to help win the dual. In the final seconds of the match, the freshman managed to turn his opponent and receive three near fall points and the 8-0 major decision. The win by Silva put the Vikings within three, 20-17, with one match to go. The dual depended on senior and two-time All-American, Jason Lozier (Omaha, Neb). In an exciting match, Lozier was losing 2-1 with about two seconds remaining and managed a reversal with no time on the clock to pull out a 3-2 victory over Kyle Larson and the 20-20 tie! The Vikings will be in action on Jan. 6 at home against Dakota Wesleyan and then will host the Dana Open on Saturday. Jan. 7.

State College, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, headed west for the 2005 Reno Tournament of Champions knowing that it would be missing two starters and wrestling only nine scoring grapplers. Still a force to be reckoned with, four Penn State wrestlers advanced to the semifinals with senior 141-pounder DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) advancing to the finals. Seniors Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) at 184 and James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.) did not make the trip, forcing Sunderland to wrestle a reserve at 149 for Woodall and not submit an entry at 184. So while the remainder of the field got scoring from ten wrestlers, Penn State got scoring from nine. Showcasing its outstanding depth from top to bottom in the line-up, four of Penn State's nine scoring entrants advanced to the semifinals in a tournament field featuring Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Central Michigan and Oregon. Driscoll zipped out to a 3-0 start and advanced to the semifinals at 141 with a pin (1:45) of Fresno State's Garrett Spooner. Driscoll also had a decision and a technical fall in the preliminaries. He then earned a spot in the finals with a 7-2 win over Northwestern's Ryan Lang. Driscoll dropped a hard-fought 6-4 decision to Dan Friskhorn of Oklahoma State in the title bout. Driscoll ended his outstanding run with a 4-1 mark. Freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) continued his hot run, bolting out of the gates 3-0 and advancing to the semifinals at 133 with a 2-0 win over Oregon's Justin Pearch. Strayer began the tournament with a pin and a technical fall. In the semifinals, he fell 6-4 to Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State but bounced back to take third place with a 4-1 win over Jason Borrelli of Central Michigan. Strayer went 5-1 at the tournament Junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) made a thrilling entry into the semifinals at 157 with a 5-3 win over Oklahoma State's Newly McSpadden. Galloway, 3-0 to begin the tournament, had two other decisions to begin the tournament. Galloway dropped an 8-2 decision to Brian Stith of Arizona State in the semifinals but wrestled-back well and placed fourth, going 4-2 overall. While that foursome advanced to the semifinals, four other Nittany Lions made it to the quarterfinals before falling into the wrestle-backs. Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) suffered his first loss of the season in the quarters. After a 2-0 start to the tourney, he had his undefeated run to begin the season ended with a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Oklahoma State's Brandon Mason in the quarterfinals. Yonushonis would go 2-1 in wrestle-backs and take fifth place with a 5-2 mark and a 10-7 win over Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan. Senior HWT Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) also advanced to the quarterfinals before losing 8-3 to Cain Valesquez of Arizona State. Edwards was strong in consolations, however, winning four straight and claiming third place. Edwards went 5-1. Sophomore All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) stormed out to a 3-0 start, advancing to the semifinals at 197 with a 7-2 win over Princeton's Jake Butler. Davis also had a fall and a technical fall in the preliminary rounds. Davis was downed 6-2 by Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak in the semis and went on to place sixth after forfeiting his fifth place match. Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) also began the tournament 2-0, but fell 6-2 to Arizona State's Jeremy Mendozza in the quarters. Haas went on to go 2-2 in wrestle-backs and took sixth place with a 4-3 overall mark. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) continued to impress in his first season, beginning the tournament 2-0 before dropping a heard-fought 5-3 decision to No. 1 seed Johnny Hendricks of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. Erwin went 3-2 in the tournament. Freshman Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) started at 149 for Penn State and went 0-2. While the above nine were Penn State's scoring wrestlers, four other Nittany Lions made the trip and participated, albeit in a non-team scoring mode. Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) was 2-2 at 125. Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) had an outstanding tournament at 141. He went 2-0 in prelims before falling into consos. But in wrestle-backs, Heller posted five wins and earned fifth place, going 7-2 overall. Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) went 0-2 at 165. Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) had an outstanding tournament, going 5-1 overall and finishing fourth. Anspach forfeited the third place match to teammate Edwards, thus not taking a loss in the bout. Even with just nine scoring wrestlers, the Nittany Lions still finished a strong fourth place in the tournament. No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State won the tourney with 194.5 team points, nine finalists including three champions. No. 9 Central Michigan was second with 123, No. 13 Northwestern was third with 118.5 while No. 12 Penn State was close behind in fourth with 97. Oregon finished fifth with 83.5. The Nittany Lions, 5-2 in duals and ranked No. 12 in the country, return to action on Jan. 6 in a much-anticipated dual match at No. 9 Lehigh at 7 p.m. Two days later on Jan. 8, Penn State hosts No. 8 Cornell in Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. dual. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center of by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.

RENO, Nev. -- Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) earned back-to-back individual titles at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs., leading Northwestern to a third-place finish at the 2005 Reno Tournament of Champions. At the end of the day, seven Wildcats placed at the tournament, with every wrestler winning at least one match. Herbert entered the tournament as the top seed at 174 lbs. and wasted little time proving he deserved the ranking, recording two falls and a technical fall in his first three matches. Herbert started his day by pinning Princeton's Mathew DeNichilo at 3:42. He followed that performance by recording a technical fall over Stanford's Luke Feist, taking the match 23-4. After pinning Upper Iowa University's C.J. MacNaught in 3:15 to advance to the semifinals, Herbert notched a 15-10 decision over Ken Cook of UC Davis to move into the final round. Herbert dominated in the title bout, pinning Oklahoma State's 16th-ranked Brandon Mason at 2:05 to take home is second individual tournament title of the year. Not to be outdone by his classmate, Tamillow displayed an equally impressive performance at 184 lbs. After earning the second seed, Tamillow began his day with an 8-0 major decision over Embry-Riddle's Joffre Lander in the first round. In the second round Tamillow pinned Lassen's Mike Calderon at 1:18, then recorded a 6-2 decision over Boise State's K.C. Walsh to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal round, Tamillow slapped a 12-3 major-decision victory on Fresno State's Greg Gifford. In the final round, No. 15 Tamillow faced Oregon's ninth-ranked Shane Webster. Tamillow came through with a big one, edging Webster 2-0 in a tight title bout. With their performances in Reno, Herbert and Tamillow improved their respective records to 11-0 this season. Senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) went 3-1, while senior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) went 5-2 as the two finished fourth in their respective weight classes for the 'Cats. At 125 lbs., the second-seeded Velez moved to the second round after a first-round bye. In his first match of the day, Velez recorded a 14-2 major-decision victory over Upper Iowa University's Tyler Mumbulo. Velez fell to Arizona State's ninth-ranked Jeremy Mendoza in the quarterfinals, but notched a major-decision win of his own over Stanford's Tanner Gardner in the consolation semifinal. Velez then dropped a 3-1 decision in overtime to Central Michigan's Luke Smith to take fourth place. The fourth-seeded Delguyd started the tournament by recording consecutive major-decision wins. Delguyd topped Southern Oregon University's Abe Ewing 15-2 before recording a 13-4 win over Northern State University's Todd Naasz. After being edged 4-2 by Boise State's Casey Phelps in the third round, Delguyd rallied with three-consecutive wins in the consolation bracket. Delguyd first beat Wyoming's Malcom Havens 17-5, then slipped past Cal State Fullerton's Chris Chambers, 5-4. In the consolation final, Delguyd met the man who bumped him into the consolation bracket, Boise State's Casey Phelps. Phelps once again got the best of Delguyd in the rematch, taking the match 7-2. At 165 lbs., Will Durkee went 5-2 on the day en route to a fifth-place finish. After a first-round bye, Durkee pinned Embry-Riddle's Morgan Scott at 1:52. He then tallied his second fall in as many matches by pinning Northern State University's Matt Englund at 2:39. Oregon's seventh-ranked Joey Bracemonte edged Durkee 9-6 in the fourth round, but Durkee responded by rattling off a 6-1 decision over Central Michigan's Justin Petrone and a 9-0 major decision over Tennessee's Daniel Peterson. After falling to UC Davis' Frank Richmond, Durkee finished the day with a 4-1 decision over Southern Oregon University's Jimmy Grochowsky, to claim fifth place. Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed at 285 lbs. In his first-round match, Fox made easy work of Stanford's Jared Boyer, notching an 18-6 major-decision victory. Fox then won two more--with an 8-2 decision over Tennessee's Zach Tramel and a default from Wyoming's Dusty Hoffschneider--to find himself in the semifinals against Arizona State's fourth-ranked Cain Velasquez. There, Fox fell to Velasquez, 11-1, to move into the consolation bracket. In his first consolation match, Fox fell to Aaron Anspach of Penn, 10-4. Fox rallied against Central Michigan's Bubba Gritter, however, and won fifth place with a 7-3 win. At 141 lbs., sophomore Ryan Lang entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Lang started off hot, ripping off four-consecutive victories in his first four matches, winning two by fall and two by major decision. Lang made quick work of Cal State Fullerton's Teddy Astorga in the first round, pinning Astorga in 1:15. In his next match, Lang recorded a 17-5 major-decision victory over Cal State Bakersfield's Jeremy Doyle. Lang then topped Central Michigan's Brandon Carter, 12-3, and pinned Oregon's Skyler Woods in 1:54 to advance to the quarterfinals. Lang fell to Penn's DeWitt Driscoll 7-2 in the quarterfinals, then faced Carter again in his first consolation match. Lang wasn't as fortunate against Carter the second time around, and fell to move on to the fifth-place match. Lang then forfeited the last match, earning him sixth place on the day. In the team race, defending national champion Oklahoma State led all day and finished with nine wrestlers in the finals. The Cowboys took first with a 194.5 team points. While the Wildcats were in second for most of the tournament, Central Michigan snuck in a few late points to finish second with 123 points, while the Wildcats finished in third place with 118.5 points. Penn State finished fourth with 97 team points, while Oregon rounded out the top five with 83.5 points. Northwestern returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 29 for the 43rd annual Midlands Wrestling Championships.

RENO, Nev. -- Three members of the Arizona State University wrestling team advanced to the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions Sunday in Reno, Nev., with a pair of Sun Devils claiming individual championships to pace the team. ASU's final team place and point total were not available. Oklahoma State won the team title for the ninth time in 10 years with 194.5 points while Central Michigan (123), Northwestern (118.5), Penn State (97) and Oregon (83.5) rounded out the Top 5 teams. Jeremy Mendoza, seeded third at 125 pounds, went 6-0 on his way to winning the crown at the lightest weight class. After opening the day with a pin, Mendoza added two major decisions and two decisions to reach the finals. After scoring an 11-0 major decision over No. 2 seed John Valez of Northwestern in the semifinals, Mendoza met up with No. 1 seed Coleman Scott of OSU in what would become a non-scoring affair. Although neither recorded a point in the bout, Mendoza did accumulate enough riding time to earn the point and win, 1-0. Also claiming a crown for the Sun Devils was returning All-American Brian Stith at 157 pounds. The top seed in his weight class, Stith cruised into the quarterfinals with one fall and two major decisions before winning a pair of decisions to reach the finals. In the championship bout, Stith took on OSU's Kevin Ward, the third seed, and scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining on the clock to take a 3-2 victory. Overall on the day, Stith faced three Pac-10 foes, winning one each by fall, major decision and decision. The third Sun Devil individual to reach the finals was heavyweight Cain Velasquez, the second seed in the event. Velasquez opened the day with an 18-1 technical fall before pinning his second round foe in 2:44. After two more victories, including an 11-1 major decision over the third seeded Dustin Fox of Northwestern, Velasquez met two-time defending national champion Steve Mocco of OSU in the finals. In the championship bout, Mocco picked up two takedowns to record a 5-3 decision and handing Velasquez just his second loss of the season in 20 matches. Also competing for the Sun Devils on the day were Adam Hickey (0-2 at 133), Jason Robbins (1-2 at 141), Brandon Schad (1-2 at 149), Mark LeBeau (0-2 at 149), Kevin Gaughan (1-2 at 157), Alex Pavlenko (1-2 at 174) and Jamie Robbins (0-2 at 174). Patrick Pitsch (165) and Chris Remsen (174) were slated to compete, but did not take part in the tournament as they both forfeited a pair of bouts. Following the holiday break, the Sun Devils will once again take to the road as they return to dual competition when they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 4. ASU also will place host to UC Davis and Iowa State on Jan. 8 inside Wells Fargo Arena for the Sun Devil Duals.

PARK FORREST, Ill. -- The Indiana wrestling team swept the competition at the FITE Duals in Park Forrest, Ill., on Dec. 18 to remain perfect on the season at 5-0. IU opened the event at Rich East High School with a 37-12 defeat of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville before dismantling No. 21 Northern Illinois and Wisconsin-Whitewater by scores of 28-9 and 45-4, respectively. "It was a great event with a lot of intense matches," head coach Duane Goldman said. "We competed hard and came out with a winning attitude. Our guys are working hard and they are continuing to progress well. It was a good thing to get through the first part of our season healthy and now we are ready to face the rest of our remaining schedule." The Hoosiers posted 11 pins, one technical fall, three major decisions and a forfeit to take more than half of its scheduled bouts by bonus points. Defending national champion Joe Dubuque took care of business in his first two bouts, dismissing Sean Mead (SIUE) and Pat Castillo (NIU). Top-rated Dubuque posted a technical fall, 17-0, against Mead before pinning Castillo at the 5:39 mark. Redshirt freshman Jose Escobedo finished the sweep at 125 pounds, defeating UW-W's Joe Van Wetering 8-2. Andrae Hernandez went 3-0 on the day, posting two falls against SIUE's Chuck Patten (4:17) and UW-W's Kyle Hazelwood (4:48) to get the event rolling. Against Northern Illinois, Hernandez took the match 5-3 in sudden victory against Andy Hiatt to give the Hoosiers the early 9-0 lead against NIU. The Hoosiers mixed-up the lineup at 141 pounds with freshman Scott Kelley making two starts to go 1-1 on the day, while senior Nick Spatola lost a hard-fought match to No. 9 Josh Wooton of Northern Illinois. Wooton posted the Huskies first points against the Hoosiers, but Spatola did well to keep one of the top wrestlers in the nation from bonus points in the 5-0 decision. Kelley dropped his first bout to Tyler Swearingen (SIUE), 8-4, before defeating Wisconsin-Whitewater's Nate Closen, 7-5. Juniors Isaac Knable and Matt Cooper shared the load at 149 pounds, with Knable tallying a pin and decision to go 2-0. Cooper had his hands full against No. 8 Mike Grimes (NIU), taking the bout into sudden victory. Cooper looked poised to make his first big statement against a top-10 opponent, but Grimes used a late takedown to sneak away with the 3-2 decision. All-American Brandon Becker took care of business at 157 pounds pinning all three of his opponents. After pinning Northern Illinois' Kalen Knull at the 2:18 mark, third-ranked Becker gave the Hoosiers a 15-6 lead over the Huskies in his most impressive showing of the day. Sophomore Max Dean collected a major decision over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's John Ficht to open the competition, following the victory with a 3-1 decision over NIU's Alex Nelson. Freshman Hunter Hughes made his first start of the dual season pinning Shannon Bohleman of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 6:02 to wrap up the IU sweep at 165. Sophomore Marc Bennett swept the competition at 174 pounds in commanding fashion, dismissing by fall SIUE's Chris Midgett (2:30) and UW-W's Scott Moe (3:32). Against NIU's 19th-ranked Danny Burke, Bennett needed extra periods before using a takedown to defeat Burke 9-7 in the first overtime period. Freshman Louis Gouletas made his first start for the Hoosiers at both 184 and 197 pounds, going 0-2 in his first dual outings. Two-time NCAA qualifier Brady Richardson cleaned house at 197 pounds, dropping only five points across two matches. After opening the event with a 10-1 major decision over SIUE's Sean Tyus, eighth-ranked Richardson took a 10-4 decision over Dave Herrera (NIU). Dave Herman closed out the IU effort going 3-0. Herman met a forfeit win against Southern Illinois before taking the mat against 20th-ranked Joe Sapp of NIU. Sapp looked beat as Herman forced the sudden victory; however, Sapp used a reversal late in the third period to steal the 3-2 victory. Herman rebounded to post a decision over Derrick Johnson of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 9-2. The Hoosiers will take the next two weeks off before traveling to Evanston, Ill., to compete at the Midlands Invitational on Dec. 29-30. Hosted by Northwestern University, the competition will be a Big Ten preview for the Hoosiers who could meet conference powerhouses Iowa, Illinois and Michigan in a pre-conference showdown.

CLARION, Pa. -- Despite a number of injuries up and down its lineup, the University of North Carolina wrestling team improved its dual match record to 6-0 on the young season with wins over Drexel, Clarion and Kent State at the Clarion Duals Sunday at W.S. Tippin Gymnasium. Carolina opened with a 26-9 win over Drexel, followed with a 34-9 victory over Clarion and closed out the afternoon with a 23-10 win over Kent State. Four Tar Heels posted perfect 3-0 records on the afternoon, including senior Garrett Atkinson at 165 pounds, junior Bobby Shaw at 125, sophomore Chris Ramos at 149 and redshirt freshman Vincent Ramirez at 141. Juniors Brian Baglio and Deon Barrett also combined for a 3-0 record at 157. Atkinson, now 7-3 this season, opened with a 6-1 win over Scott Hunter of Drexel. He then pinned Clarion's Logan Downes in 2:53 and followed with a 5-3 decision over Kent State's Jason McKee. Shaw posted pins over Drexel's Steve Mytych (3:58) and Kent State's Chad Sportelli (6:10) and picked up a win via forfeit versus Clarion. Shaw is now 11-5. Wrestling in the leadoff spot all afternoon, Ramos was the third Tar Heel to go 3-0. He opened with an overtime win over Drexel's Chris Renninger (8-6), then notched a pin of Clarion's Robert Hermo in just 58 seconds and closed out the day with an 11-4 win over Kent State's Kyle Chonko. Ramos improved to 7-4 on the season. Ramirez pushed his season record to 19-4 Sunday. He won via technical fall over Drexel's Ed Giosa (16-0) and followed with a 7-2 decision over Clarion's Derrick Smith and a 10-1 major decision over Kent State's Drew Lashaway (10-1). Carolina heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky won Twice Sunday to improve his team-best record to 21-2 and 5-0 in duals. He sat out the Clarion match. The Tar Heels return to action Dec. 29-30 at UNC Greensboro's Southern Scuffle. NORTH CAROLINA 26 DREXEL 9 149- Chris Ramos (NC) dec. Chris Renninger (D) 8-6 ot 157- Brian Baglio (NC) dec. Ryan Hluschak (D) 7-6 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) dec. Scott Hunter (D) 6-1 174- Nick Kozar (D) dec. Alex Maciag (NC) 7-3 184- Justin Dobies (NC) dec. Justin Terhune (D) 2-1 197- Jon Oplinger (D) dec. David Dashiell (NC) 8-5 HWT- Spencer Nodolsky (NC) dec. Chris Cowen (D) 3-2 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) pinned Steve Mytych (D) 3:58 133- Zach Makovsky (D) maj. dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 10-2 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) t.fall Ed Giosa (D) 16-0; 6:21 Drexel 1 Team Point Deducted NORTH CAROLINA 34 CLARION 9 149- Chris Ramos (NC) pinned Robert Hermo (CL) :58 157- Deon Barrett (NC) maj. dec. Lucas Christopher (CL) 17-6 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) pinned Logan Downes (CL) 2:53 174- Alex Maciag (NC) dec. Dave Gardner (CL) 9-6 184- Justin Dobies (NC) dec. Dominic Ross (CL) 7-2 197- David Dashiell (NC) dec. Matt Wilcox (CL) 11-5 HWT- A.J. Brooks (CL) forfeit 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) forfeit 133- Robert LaBrake (CL) dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 1-0 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) dec. Derrick Smith (CL) 7-2 NORTH CAROLINA 23 KENT STATE 10 149- Chris Ramos (NC) dec. Kyle Chonko (K) 11-4 157- Brian Baglio (NC) dec. Kurt Gross (K) 11-5 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) dec. Jason McGee (K) 5-3 174- Aaron Miller (K) dec. Alex Maciag (NC) 7-6 184- Alex Camargo (K) dec. Justin Dobies (NC) 3-1 ot 197- David Dashiell (NC) dec. Ardian Ramadani (K) 6-1 HWT- Spencer Nodolsky (NC) dec. Willie Leonard (K) 4-3 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) pinned Chad Sportelli (K) 6:10 133- Drew Opfer (K) maj. dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 13-0 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) maj. dec. Drew Lashaway (K)

AMES, Iowa -- All-American Kurt Backes's pin at the 3:43 mark pushed the seventh-ranked Iowa State wrestlers (4-2, 0-0 Big 12) past Cal-Poly (2-1, 2-0 Pac-10), 26-18, on Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones won six matches, recording a pin and two major decisions en route to the victory. "Cal Poly is a good team, they came in with a good game plan," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "I am happy with our performance; it was good, but we obviously have work to do." Backes, rated fifth at 184 pounds, began the second period from the defensive position against sixth-ranked Ryan Halsey. During a flurry which saw both wrestlers on their back, Backes was able to free himself from Halsey and score a reversal at the 1:22 mark. After the reversal, Halsey's back was exposed to the mat. Five seconds later Backes registered the pin, giving ISU a commanding 16-3 lead. Backes' fall capped off four straight victories for the Cyclones. At 157 pounds, fourth-ranked Trent Paulson earned a 16-6 major decision over Ryan Williams. Travis Paulson (165) and David Bertolino (174) followed with 6-1 and 10-5 decisions, respectively. Jesse Sundell won by forfeit at 133 pounds. To close out the dual, ISU's second-ranked All-American Nate Gallick notched a major decision over Steve Esparza, 16-7. The Cyclones will next be travelling to the 43rd Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30. Gallick will be defending his 2004 title at 141 pounds. Backes (184) and Travis Paulson (165) finished second in their respective weight classes last season, while Trent Paulson claimed a third-place finish at 157 pounds. Wrestling action will return to Ames on Jan. 5, when Iowa State will play host to the Hokies of Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team improved to 2-3 on the season with a 37-7 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday afternoon. UNI used three forfeit victories to roll to the dual win. UNI's forfeit wins came from Moza Fay (157 lbs.), Curt Zinnel (174 lbs.) and Dan Dunning (184 lbs.) The Panthers got the dual rolling with two early wins from Seth Wright (125 lbs.) and Chris Helgeson (133 lbs.). The two wins gave UNI a 6-0 lead after only two matches. Ryan Osgood (141 lbs.) suffered a 15-6 loss, but then the Panthers rolled off six straight wins to take control. Included in the six wins were the three forfeits. Nick Baima (165 lbs.) tallied an easy 23-8 technical fall and Jeff Knoll (197 lbs.) closed out the Panther win with a 5-4 decision. The Panthers will next be in action at the Midlands on Dec. 29-30. UNI 37, Virginia Tech 7 125 Seth Wright (UNI) dec. Justin Stayler (VT), 14-8 133 Chris Helgeson (UNI) dec. Christian Smith (VT), 10-5 141 David Hoffman (VT) maj. dec. Ryan Osgood (UNI), 15-6 149 Colby Geotsch (UNI) tech. fall Joe Thompson (VT), 15-0 157 Moza Fay (UNI) wins by fft. 165 Nick Baima (UNI) tech. fall Mark Czarny (VT), 23-8 174 Curt Zinnel (UNI) wins by fft. 184 Dan Dunning (UNI) wins by fft. 197 Jeff Knoll (UNI) dec. John Laboranti, 5-4 285 Mike Faust (VT) dec. Tyler Rhodes (UNI), 3-2

EVANSTON, Ill. -- With the 43rd-annual Midlands Wrestling Championships less than two weeks away, Northwestern has released the early 2005 weight by weight rankings. 125 lbs. 1. Nick Simmons, Michigan State 2. Luke Eustice, Hawkeye Training Club 3. John Velez, Northwestern 4. Luke Magnani, Iowa 5. Tanner Gardner, Stanford 6. Luke Smith, Central Michigan 7. Pat Castillo, Northern Illinois 8. Rob McCabe, Adams State 133 lbs. 1. Jason Borrelli, Central Michigan 2. Matt Valenti, Penn 3. Robbie Preston, Harvard 4. Scott Jorgenson, Boise State 5. Sam Hiatt, Northern Illinois 6. Seth Lisa, West Virginia 7. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana 8. Erkin Tadzhimeov, Utah Valley State 141 lbs. 1. Nate Gallick, Iowa State 2. Andy Simmons, Michigan State 3. Ryan Lang, Northwestern 4. Max Meltzer, Harvard 5. Alex Tsirtsis, Iowa 6. Josh Wooton, Northern Illinois 7. Casey Pero, Illinois 8. Brandon Rader, West Virginia 149 lbs. 1. Ty Eustice, Iowa 2. Cliff Moore, Hawkeye Training Club 3. Mark DiSalvo, Central Michiga 4. Mike Grimes, Northern Illinois 5. Doug Withstandley, Purdue 6. Ryan Hurley, Cleveland State 7. Darren McKnight, Michigan State 8. Anthony Baza, Cal State Bakersfield 157 lbs. 1. Alex Tirapelle, Illinois 2. Trent Paulson, Iowa State 3. Joe Johnston, Iowa 4. Matt Lebe, West Virginia 5. Jeremiah Jarvis, UNA 6. Brandon Becker, Indiana 7. Ben Cherrington, Boise State 8. Eric Neil, Central Michigan 165 lbs. 1. Travis Paulson, Iowa State 2. Jared Frayer, UNA 3. Nick Baima, Northern Iowa 4. Donny Reynolds, Illinois 5. Zac Fryling, UNA 6. Will Durkee, Northwestern 7. Garrett South, Luther 8. Evan Copeland, Adams State 9. J.D. Naig, Nebraska-Omaha 174 lbs. 1. Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2. Mark Perry, Iowa 3. Matt Palmer, Columbia 4. R.J. Boudro, Michigan State 5. Ken Robertson, Eastern Illinois 6. Brandon Sinnott, Central Michigan 7. Christian Arellano, Cal State Bakersfield 8. Danny Burk, Northern Illinois 184 lbs. 1. Paul Bradley, Iowa 2. Kurt Backes, Iowa State 3. Ben Wissel, Purdue 4. Pete Freidl, Illinois 5. Josh Glenn, American 6. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern 7. Ryan Halsey, Cal Poly 8. Rudy Medini, Rutgers 197 lbs. 1. Wynn Michalak, Central Michigan 2. Matt Delguyd, Northwestern 3. Tyrone Byrd, Illinois 4. Brady Richardson, Indiana 5. Casey Phelps, Boise State 6. Joe Dennis, Cleveland State 7. Nathan Moore, Purdue 8. Corey Jacoby, Shippensburg 285 lbs. 1. Bode Ogunwole, Harvard 2. Dustin Fox, Northwestern 3. Matt Fields, Iowa 4. Les Sigman, Nebraska-Omaha 5. Ryan Allen, Wisconsin-La Crosse 6. Adam LoPiccolo, American 7. Joe Sapp, Northern Illinois 8. Payam Zarrinpour, Sacred Heart 2005 Midlands Late Notes • Cliff Moore, of the Hawkeye Training Club, has entered at 149 lbs. and has the opportunity to join the "20 in 4" club. He would be the 18th member to win 20 matches in his first four Midlands Championships. Moore currently has 17 Midlands wins after three tournaments. • The 2005 Midlands book signing will take place at 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The three authors on hand to do the signing are Kyle Maynard, Dan Gable and Mike Chapman. Maynard will be on hand to sign his book, "No Excuses." Maynard is a nationally known personality who has overcome congenial amputation to accomplish many feats both on and off the mat. Maynard will also serve as Grand Marshall for the Parade of Champions prior to the final session. Gable, a legendary wrestler and coach, will sign his book "Coaching Wrestling Successfully." Gable was a gold medalist at the 1972 Olympics and went on to coach numerous NCAA team and individual champions at the University of Iowa. Chapman is a noted author in the wrestling world and will be signing his latest book, "Wrestling Tough."

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State came up short in its opening dual match of the 2005-06 season, falling to North Carolina State 22-14 in front of a crowd of 733 at the Bison Sports Arena, Friday, December 16. The Wolfpack avenged their loss from last season as the Bison defeated the Wolfpack 19-13 last January. The loss also snapped NDSU's five-match opening-dual winning streak. North Carolina State (3-0, 0-0 ACC) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead when 125-pounder Jeremy Hartrum defeated North Dakota State's Mike Meger 10-5. The Bison responded quickly in their next two bouts as 133-pounder Eric Sanders and 141-pounder David Cunningham were able to pickup victories, giving NDSU a 7-3 lead. Sanders' win snapped a personal five-match losing streak and Cunningham's win was his first career dual victory. The Wolfpack struck back when Joe Caramanica defeated Gabe Mooney 6-2 at 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Kody Hamrah gave the Wolfpack the lead for good at 12-7 when he pinned Adam Aho. It was Hamrah's first match and victory of the year as he came back from an injury. Zach Molitor made his North Dakota State debut tonight but came up short to Obie Simpson 6-5 at 165 pounds. Simpson scored a takedown with 36 seconds left in the match to secure the win. NDSU team captain Matt Hermann retaliated with a 6-4 decision over Rick Brownlee at 174 pounds. This was Hermann's first match back after suffering a shoulder injury at the Bison Open November 12. Matt Wetterling inched the Bison closer, picking up his team-leading 17th win of the season for North Dakota State at 184 pounds when he defeated Jeremy Colbert 13-2, narrowing the team score to 15-14. At 197 pounds, NC State's Ryan Goodman responded with a four-point victory of his own, defeating Jacob Bryce 9-1. Goodman is ranked nationally in the top 20 in multiple polls. The match concluded with the Wolfpack's Jainor Palma defeating Dustin Benz 7-3 at heavyweight. Benz, a senior, graduated earlier in the day and came back for one final match. North Dakota State (0-1) takes an extended break and travels to Hampton, Va. to compete at the Virginia Duals January 13-14. FINAL RESULTS North Carolina State 22, North Dakota State 14 125--Jeremy Hartrum (NCST) dec. Mike Meger 10-5 133--Eric Sanders (NDSU) dec. Jeff Breese 7-3 141--David Cunningham (NDSU) maj. dec. Jalil Dozier 12-4 149--Joe Caramanica (NCST) dec. Gabe Mooney 6-2 157--Kody Hamrah (NCST) pin Adam Aho, 4:11 165--Obie Simpson (NCST) dec. Zach Molitor 6-5 174--Matt Hermann (NDSU) dec. Rick Brownlee 6-4 184--Matt Wetterling (NDSU) maj. dec. Jeremy Colbert 13-2 197--Ryan Goodman (NCST) maj. dec. Jacob Bryce 9-1 Hwt.--Jainor Palma (NCST) dec. Dustin Benz 7-3

Happy Holidays wrestling fans! This is Ryan Allen from UW-La Crosse, and my present to you is this blog (yeah … so I am cheap!). I hope you are enjoying the start of this year's wrestling season. Schools are finishing up for the semester and soon we will be heading into the meat of the season. I would like to take some time and attempt to enlighten you on my thoughts and give you an inside look into my last year of competition and also on the UW-L team as a whole. First of all, here's a little background for you. In my previous three years of college competition, I have wrestled in three national finals matches -- two of which I was victorious. Last year, I was voted the outstanding wrestler of the national tournament. I have been part of three Wisconsin Conference championship teams while capturing three individual conference titles myself. I have been voted the most valuable wrestler of our team twice. On paper, the road to the conclusion of my collegiate career seems to be paved with golden bricks. Ryan Allen (photo by Johnnie Johnson)As many of you may know, the road I have been traveling on so far this year is far from golden. I have been defeated three times already, twice by a Division III foe. I began the season with a 6-3 mark. According to some people, I am no longer the man to beat in division III at heavyweight. I once heard that when you reach the top of a mountain, there is only one way to go -- and that is down. I have recently stepped off the peak of this wrestling mountain, but my footprints remain embedded at the top. There is a point in every athlete's career when they realize that they need to work harder to accomplish their goals. This is when true character is defined and the elite athletes are separated from the good ones. There are people who are satisfied with what they have and there are people who decide to go after what others never thought was possible. I have reached this point in my wrestling career and have since been planning a route for myself back up to the top of that mountain. I do not plan on making the trip up alone, however. Recently our team has been recognized as the team to beat in Division III. Our wrestling room is filled with talented individuals who are ready to make the sacrifices needed in our difficult sport. Every team goes through hardships and ours is no different. Our team in La Crosse has recently been facing the possibility of losing All-American Jordan Kolinski for the season due to a shoulder injury. In the face of this we are sticking together strong to accomplish our goals and to finish what we set out to do. When talented individuals get together, stick together, and work together only successful outcomes will occur. The UW-La Crosse team is a strong team. We have been through a great deal and still have found success. Late last season, UW-L hired Nate Skaar as an interim coach due to an unexpected resignation. We then went the season without one of our captains in two-time All-American Jason Lulloff. Last season, we managed to bring home seven All-American plaques from the national tournament despite all of this. This year we dealt with a messed up hiring process that again lead to another late rehiring of Coach Skaar. Even with this confusion, and now the apparent loss of Kolinski for the year, Coach Skaar, Coach Billy Huebner, and Coach Corey Ruff have kept this team focused and as close as a family. The waves that went through the program have settled now and we are all here staring at the top of that mountain. Ryan Allen (photo by Johnnie Johnson)Right now, the team is gearing up for our next tournament that is arguably the toughest collegiate tournament out there: The Midlands Championships (December 29 and 30). It has traditionally been a tournament packed with the best wrestlers in the country and this year it looks to be a great event again. I was lucky enough to be selected to wrestle there last year, and this year nine other members from our team have received invites as well. I wrestled fairly well there last year placing fifth and going 6-2. I was quite happy with that finish. However, my goal is to place higher this year. Being one of the few Division III teams there, scoring points as a team will be tough. Nevertheless, I am confident that with our team's talent and desire to win, we will do fine. So, in wrapping things up, I will ask you to stay tuned and catch the results of that tournament to see how the team did at this prestigious tournament. But first and foremost have a safe and happy holiday season. Don't forget to eat a lot at Christmas dinner. I know I will (after all, I am a heavyweight). Yours in wrestling, Merry Christmas -- Ryan Allen Past UW-La Crosse Entries: Entry 5 (12/1/05) Entry 4 (11/16/05) Entry 3 (11/3/05) Entry 2 (10/19/05) Entry 1 (10/10/05)

Plain and simple, Missouri's Ben Askren, a two-time NCAA runner-up, is the most dominating collegiate wrestler in the country. The junior 174-pounder is 17-0 with 13 pins, two technical falls, one injury default, and one major decision. His closest match this season came in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which he won by 11 points over No. 8 Mike Patrovich of Hofstra. Askren, who is already the record-holder for falls in a season, set another Missouri record two weeks ago at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He broke J.P. Reese's career pin record of 47 by recording three pins on his way to the title at 174 pounds. After last Sunday's 39-second pin over Charlie Clark of Ohio State, Askren now sits at 50 career pins. RevWrestling.com's Andrew Hipps recently went one-on-one with Askren to talk about why he skipped the NWCA All-Star Classic, his rivalry with Chris Pendleton, his thoughts on a potential match-up with Iowa's Mark Perry, and his future in freestyle. You wrestled in the NWCA All-Star Classic last season, but opted not to wrestle in it this season. Why not? Askren: Last year, I really wanted to get a shot at Chris Pendleton again. With him, the more shots, the better. I skipped the Missouri Open last year. I wrestled in it this year. Plus, I mean, I didn't think it was necessary for me to wrestle Perry or Herbert because … I didn't think it was anything extraordinary to wrestle them. Whereas, Pendleton, I felt, was a level above and someone I needed to get a shot at. You obviously have a unique, unconventional style of wrestling. Have you always enjoyed scrambling? Askren: Yeah, I've always scrambled. It was sort of necessity because I'm not the quickest or strongest guy, so I had to do whatever I had to do to win. You're 17-0 and have dominated everyone you've wrestled this season. What is the biggest difference in your wrestling from last season to this season? Askren: I don't think there's a huge difference. I mean, I dominated a lot last year too. If anything, I worked on my penetration a lot. Better shots. I worked on stance and motion a lot because I think that's what Pendleton beat me with last year. Those are the main things I've worked on. Other than that, everything is either the same or has gotten more refined or better. You're the career record holder for pins at Missouri … and recently recorded your 50th. Do you go out every match with the mindset that you want to pin your opponent? Or is it just something that kind of comes with your wrestling? Askren: I try to go out there and pin him every time. I just try to get on top very fast and then lock up a cradle or a hammerlock, lock something really tight, and then go for the pin. Is winning the Schalles Award (given annually to the nation's best pinner) important to you? Askren: Yeah, I think I was a finalist my freshman year. Last year, I didn't even get nominated. I'm not sure why. It's not like I want to pin everyone so I can win that award. I want to pin everyone because I want to pin everyone. If I win that, then it's positive also. Chris Pendleton and Ben AskrenYou have had some great battles over the years with Chris Pendleton. Do you think he has helped elevate your wrestling? Askren: Yeah, definitely. Last year, more than any other year, it was like, I want to win to win a national title, and if I'm going to win it, I'm going to have beat Pendleton because I knew no one else was going to beat him. He was a level or two above everyone else. It was definitely my focus. Another thing that he did that really helped me, and it's also John Smith, after every match, he made a new game plan. So we would wrestle one match, and I'd look at what I did wrong. And then I'd be like, I have to work on this. And then next match, he would do something different. I think I sort of helped him out, too, because I think I made him stay on his toes. In turn, that made him better as well. I think it made us both better. It made the rivalry really good. A lot has been made of a potential match-up with Iowa's Mark Perry this season. You both have wide open styles and love to scramble. Here's a quote from Perry, "I'm not afraid to scramble with (Askren) if he wants to scramble. I feel that I'm a better scrambler than anybody. But I think we'll enjoy wrestling each other." Is that a match-up that you're looking forward to? Askren: Yeah, if he's half as good as his talk is, he'll probably be in the national finals with me. Your younger brother, Max, is off to a great start at Missouri. He won the Central Missouri State Open this season, which included a win over All-American Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma. What are your thoughts on the way he's wrestling so far in his redshirt season? Askren: He's wrestling awesome. I'm really proud of how he's wrestling. It makes me happy when he does well because I know how hard he works. He deserves it. He's definitely helped me in the room too. He's a scrambler also. He gives me someone to scramble against. Against a lot of people, I can just do one thing in a scramble and win it. But he makes me go further than I have to. In turn, I make up new scrambles from that. He learns all of my scrambles and how to beat them, and then I have to learn how to beat that. So he helps me elevate my wrestling. He's my favorite person to drill with. I like to wrestle live with him too. Ben AskrenYou and Matt Pell are both Wisconsin natives who came to Missouri the same year. How far do you guys go back? Askren: I think I met him when I was a sophomore or junior in high school. He moved in and trained with me for quite a while during the summer of our senior year of high school. And then, of course, we have spent all of the time here together. It's our fourth year now. He's a good workout partner for me too. The state of Wisconsin has produced a number of collegiate standouts in recent years. How would you rate the talent coming out of Wisconsin compared to other states at this point? Askren: I think it came on right before I graduated from high school. I think it's tailing off right now. But I do camps there, and there's a really good middle school group right now that's going to be really, really tough when they get older. Coming out of high school, in addition to being Wisconsin's top wrestler, you also had great national credentials. What schools showed the most interest? And how did you eventually decide on Missouri? Askren: I took visits to Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Edinboro, Northern Iowa, and Arizona State. I put it all down on a piece of paper. Between the school, the wrestling, the wrestlers, coaches, and facilities, I liked Missouri the best. I knew that it was a place where I could spend the next five years of my life and be happy. Brian SmithYour coach, Brian Smith, took over a struggling Missouri program in 1998, and has since taken it to new heights. What makes him such a successful coach? Askren: I think he just knows what he wants. He wants to be good. That's pretty much the start of everything, knowing what you want. He's done a really good job of that here. I don't think we're done getting better yet. I think we still have a lot of good years ahead of us. Last season, Missouri finished 11th at the NCAA Championships. How well do you think this year's team can perform at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City? Askren: I think really well. I think we have big point scorers between me and Matt (Pell), which is a necessity at the NCAA Championships. We have two extra qualifiers this year, which is really going to help because we've had guys who were good enough to place being left home the last two years. So the extra qualifiers will really help us. In freestyle, you have had a lot of success on the senior level. You won a Pan American Games gold medal last May. What are your short term freestyle goals? And what are your long term freestyle goals? Askren: My short term and long term and long term goals are somewhat the same, being that the Olympics is only three years away now. That's really not that far away for me, I don't think. I would like to make the World Team. My goals are a world gold medal in 2007 and an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Do you plan to compete quite a bit after the collegiate season ends? Askren: I usually wrestle in like four or five competitions, but I think this year I'm probably only going to make it to the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials. And then the year after that, I'm probably going to drop to 163 most likely. I get sort of fat during the summer because I eat whatever I want … and I'm not training as hard. I was training with the World Team this year. Guys like Mo Lawal are 210 and solid muscle. And I'm 195 and not very muscular. During the college season, I'm roughly around 180. Not much more, not much less. I don't think it's going to be that tough to eventually get down to 163. Do you have aspirations of getting into coaching when your competitive career is over? Askren: I know that I'm going to stick around and coach here until Max gets done. I know that I can push him. I know that he needs someone to push him daily in the room. Plus, I mean, I'd like to help out all of the guys on team. I also really like running camps. I do that in the summer. I think I'll definitely do that. I would like to get a job somewhere coaching in Division I.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State signed a pair of Oregon high school state champions to wrestling letters of intent during the early signing period, OSU head coach Joe Wells has announced. Marty Eng (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS), a two-time winner at 103 pounds and the Greco-Roman national champion in 2005, and Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS), the 2004 champ at 145 pounds, will join the Beavers next fall for the 2006-07 season. "We're real excited about these two guys joining our team," Wells said. Eng has a career record of 67-6, all at 103 pounds for Newberg. In addition to winning state titles as a sophomore and junior, he also won league championships both years, going 24-1 as a junior and 22-2 as a sophomore; his only loss as a junior came when he was wrestling up a weight. As a freshman, Eng placed ninth at state and third in the league at 103, going 21-3. In addition to his national Greco-Roman title, Eng has also placed third in the nation in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle and won the Las Vegas Invitational. He has won six straight state titles in Greco-Roman and Freestyle. "Marty is a pocket Hercules," Wells said of Eng, who is wrestling at 112 pounds this winter. "He's a very accomplished athlete for a high school senior. He's a good student and a great kid, and he's done a fabulous job on the mat. He's competed all over the country and demonstrated why he's nationally ranked. He's real physical and a strong kid for his weight class." Davis, a three-time league champion, has a 116-12 career record for Sprague. He placed second in the state last season after moving up a weight to 152 pounds, going 41-2. As a sophomore, he was 38-3 in his state championship season at 145 pounds and as a freshman he was 37-7 en route to a fifth-place state finish at 145 pounds. As a freshman, Davis also placed eighth in a national tournament and last summer he was a member of the Oregon national team. "Keegan is an outstanding athlete, a very skilled high school wrestler," Wells said of Davis, who is wrestling at 160 pounds this winter. "He's very good on his feet. He's a good competitor and a well-rounded kid, very mature for his age. He's going to be a great addition for our team, he'll be a lot of fun." OREGON STATE WRESTLING - FALL, 2005 LETTER OF INTENT SIGNINGS Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) As a junior at 152, second in state, league champion, 41-2 record As a sophomore at 145, state champion, league champion, 38-3 record As a freshman at 145, fifth in state, league champion, 37-7 record Marty Eng (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) As a junior at 103, state champion, league champion, 24-1 record As a sophomore at 103, state champion, league champion, 22-2 record As a freshman at 103, ninth in state, third in league, 21-3 record

AMES, Iowa -- The seventh-ranked Iowa State (3-2, 0-0) wrestling team will return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. against No. 23 Cal-Poly (2-0, 2-0) in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones last met the Mustangs in the during the 2003-04 season, with ISU winning, 18-16. Iowa State leads the all-time series, 10-2. Former Iowa State NCAA champion and four-time All-American, Joe Heskett (1998-2002), is an assistant coach for Cal-Poly. The Cyclones are looking to snap a two-dual losing streak after suffering losses to both Iowa, 20-15, and Minnesota, 21-13. ISU was upended by the Golden Gophers last week in Minneapolis, but got wins from second-ranked Nate Gallick (141), No. 6 Travis Paulson (165), No. 5 Kurt Backes (184) and true freshman, Joe Curran (197). Gallick (10-0) and Paulson (14-0) remain undefeated, while Curran improved to 4-0 in dual action. Cal-Poly defeated Portland State, 39-6, Wednesday to improve to 2-0 in both dual and Pac-10 action. The Mustangs have five ranked wrestlers, Chad Mendes (125), All-American Darrell Vasquez (133), Jeff Owens (149), NCAA qualifier Ryan Halsey (184) and Matt Monteiro (197). ISU will compete at the 43rd Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Dec. 29-30.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 14 Northwestern kicked off its home-dual season by going 2-0 in its double-dual match against the University of Chicago and the University of Indianapolis Thursday. Northwestern defeated Chicago 32-12 before rolling by Indianapolis 38-12. John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy), Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) and Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) all went 2-0 on the day, while head coach Tim Cysewski moved into second place on NU wrestling's career-wins list. Seventh-ranked Velez started the 'Cats out on the right foot by earning a 14-1 major decision victory over Chicago's Zachary Matayoshi. Velez got on the board first when he shot and hit a single-leg takedown at the mat's edge. Velez was in control the throughout the remainder of the match, scoring on a series of takedowns and near falls. With the Wildcats open at 133 lbs., the two teams moved on to the 141-pound weight class. Lang took the mat for the Wildcats and immediately went to work, scoring on four takedowns in the first period versus Chicago's Andrew Bribriesco. Entering the second period with an 8-3 lead, Lang quickly notched two more points on a takedown before recording a fall at 2:34. With Northwestern leading 10-6, freshman Brandon Lozdoski (Mechesney Park, Ill/Harlem) faced Jeff Harman at 149 lbs. After the two battled to a 1-1 tie entering the third period, Lozdoski was awarded one point for riding time at the end, and walked off with a 2-1 win. Hagel took the mat for Northwestern at 157 lbs. and started off hot, tallying three points for a near fall on Chicago's Spencer Burns with 2:05 remaining. Hagel quickly finished what he started, pinning Burns at 1:15 to give the Wildcats a 19-6 lead. Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) then took the mat for the Wildcats, facing Chicago's Mike Bishof at 165 lbs. Durkee scored first on a reversal with 1:48 remaining in the first period. After Bishof notched an escape, Durkee responded by hitting on a takedown to finish out the first period with a 4-1 lead. Bishof responded by scoring three-straight points on an escape and takedown to start the second period. With the score 4-4 entering the third period, Durkee quickly notched a takedown and went up 6-4. Durkee held on for the remainder of the match, and improved to 5-1 on the year with the win. With Northwestern leading 22-12, seventh-ranked Delguyd faced Chicago's Jeffrey Marriott at 184 lbs. Delguyd scored first, hitting on a takedown just before the end of the first period. Delguyd then tallied one point for an escape to the start the second period, and hit on a series of takedowns to take a 9-2 lead into the third period. Delguyd continued his dominance in the third period and went on to a 16-5 major decision win. Fox took the mat for Northwestern at 285 lbs. looking to extend the Wildcats' lead. He did just that at 4:59 by notching his first pin of the year, giving Northwestern the 32-12 win over Chicago. With one win already out of the way, the Wildcats strapped the headgear back on and looked to go a perfect 2-0 on the day. Indianapolis was open at 125 lbs. and Northwestern was open at 133 lbs., so the two teams went right to the 141-pound weight class to begin the dual. Lang's second match of the day went much like his first. After scoring a takedown against Indianapolis' Danny Norman, Lang notched his fifth fall of the year, pinning Norman at 1:10, while improving his record to 7-0 this season. At 149 lbs., Jimmy Kim (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria Community) made his first appearance of the year. Kim got up early on the Greyhounds' Wes Hall and never looked back. After scoring on an escape and a takedown in the second period, Kim went on to the 6-0 victory. With Northwestern up 15-6, Hagel took the mat for his second match of the day, this time to face Indianapolis' Bill Pippens. After taking a 4-0 lead into the second period, Hagel scored on an escape to extend his lead to 5-0 heading into the final period. With a third-period takedown and the point for riding time, Hagel took the match, 8-0. No. 2 Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) faced the Greyhounds' Mike Jackson at 174 lbs. and showed why he is ranked the second-best 174-pound wrestler in the country. Against Jackson--who is the second-ranked Division II wrestler at 174 lbs.--Herbert shot early, got control and recorded the fall just 35 seconds into the match. No. 15 Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) followed Herbert's lead and pinned Indianapolis' Chris Owens in 1:20, extending the Wildcats' lead to 31-12. Delguyd then took the mat for the second time at 197 lbs. After taking down Alex Williams just before the end of the first period, Delguyd scored on an escape to start the second period. Williams roared back with two takedowns of his own, but Delguyd entered third period with a 6-5 lead. After a three-point near fall to start the period, Delguyd picked up his intensity the rest of the way and recorded a 12-6 win. In his second match of the day, Fox dominated Indianapolis' Lynn Panko. Fox scored six in the first period, three in the second and four in the third, walking off with the 13-4 major decision win. The Wildcats stand at 3-0 this season following Thursday's performance. "I thought it went really well," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "After being off for two weeks, I'm pleased with the way we came out and handled our business." After recording wins No. 111 and 112 Thursday, Cysewski passed Tom Jarmon for second place on Northwestern wrestling's all-time wins list. Northwestern returns to action this weekend when it travels to Reno, Nev. to participate in the Reno Tournament of Champions Sunday, Dec. 18. AGATE NU 32, Chicago 12 125-Velez (NU) def. Zach Matayoshi (UC) (MD 14-1) 133- Brandon Tillman (UC) (forfeit) 141- Ryan Lang (NU) def. Andrew Bribriesco (UC) (F 2:34) 149- Brandon Lozdoski (NU) def. Jeff Harman (UC) (D 2-1) 157- Greg Hagel (NU) def. Spencer Burns (UC) (F 1:15) 165- Will Durkee (NU) def. Mike Bishof (UC) (D 6-4) 174- Phil Kruzel (UC) def. Mark Graves (NU) (D 7-4) 184- Ben Barnes (UC) def. Joseph Gulotta (NU) (D 10-6) 197- Matt Delguyd (NU) def. Jeffrey Marriott (UC) (MD 16-5) 285- Dustin Fox (NU) def. Tom Nero (UC) (F 4:59) NU 38, Indianapolis 12 125- Velez (NU) (forfeit) 133- Shane Perkey (UI) (forfeit) 141- Ryan Lang (NU) def. Danny Norman (UI) (F 1:10) 149- Jimmy Kim (NU) def. Wes Hall (UI) (D 6-0) 157- Greg Hagel (NU) def. Bill Pippens (UI) (MD 8-0) 165- Dave Burns (UI) (forfeit) 174- Jake Herbert (NU) def. Mike Jackson (UI) (F :35) 184- Mike Tamillow (NU) def. Chris Owens (UI) (F 1:20) 197- Matt Delguyd (NU) def. Alex Williams (UI) (dec. 12-6) 285- Dustin Fox (NU) def. Lynn Panko (UI) (M.D. 13-4) 125- Alejandro Figueroa (UC) (forfeit) 133- Shane Perkey (UI) def. Brandon Tillman (UC) (MD 14-5) 141- Andrew Bribriesco (UC) def. Danny Norman (UI) (D 5-0) 149- Jeff Harman (UC) def. Wes Hall (UI) (MD 10-1) 157- Spencer Burns (UC) def. Bill Pippens (UI) (D 5-4) 165- Mike Bishof (UC) def. Dave Burns (UI) (F 6:42) 174- Mike Jackson (UI) def. Phil Kruzel (UC) (MD 15-4) 184- Ben Barnes (UC) def. Chris Owens (UI) (TF 16-0) 197- Jeffrey Marriott (UC) def. Alex Williams (UI) (D 8-5) 285- Lynn Panko (UI) def. Thomas Nero (UC) (D 11-4)

Oklahoma State will head west to participate in the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. on Dec. 18, before heading to Boise, Idaho to wrestle Boise State on Dec. 20. The Cowboys enter the week ahead with a 3-0 record in dual competition. It will be the first tournament of the year for Zack Esposito, Johny Hendricks and Steve Mocco who all missed the Kaufman/Brand Open in preparation for the All-Star Classic. Boise State will also compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions, and the Broncos come into the dual with an 0-1 record after losing to Nebraska in the season opener. Boise State has never beaten the Cowboys who owns the series lead at 4-0. OSU defeated Boise State in the only meeting last year, 38-0. OSU at the Reno TOC Oklahoma State has won eight of the nine titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Missouri knocked off the Cowboys by the slimmest of margins in 2001. The 2005 tournament has one of its best fields ever. Along with No. 1 Oklahoma State will be: 10th-ranked Central Michigan, No. 12 Penn State, 14th-ranked Northwestern and No. 17 Arizona State. The Cowboys will be sending their regular starting lineup including both Clay Kehrer and Rusty Blackmon at 184. Also competing for OSU will be 184-pounder Jack Jensen, B.J. Jackson at 149 and 157-pounder Newly McSpadden Oklahoma State won the 2004 tournament by 60 points over second-place Arizona State. The Cowboys had five individual champions who all claimed national championships later in the year. Scouting the Broncos Boise State comes into the dual meet with an 0-1 record. The Broncos lost their season opener to Nebraska, 27-9, back on Nov. 18. BSU is led by 133-pounder Scott Jorgenson who is currently ranked 11th in the country. The Broncos also boast ranked wrestlers at 157 and heavyweight. Ben Cherrington is currently ranked 10th at 157, but he did not wrestle against Nebraska and will see his first matches of the season this weekend. Freshman Andy Patrick is the 16th-ranked heavyweight in the country. Against Nebraska, Boise State got wins from Jorgenson, 149-pounder Tyler Sherfey and K.C. Walsh at 184. Battle at 184 Rusty Blackmon made the first move towards claiming the 184-pound weight class with his last second decision over Oklahoma's 11th-ranked Justin Dyer. Blackmon previously lost to Lehigh's David Helfrich who has moved into the rankings at No. 17 this week. Jack Jensen wrestled in the first dual for the Cowboys losing to No. 18 Joe Williams of Michigan State. Clay Kehrer, the returning starter from last season, is still waiting for an opportunity to make his mark. Cowboys Winning Streak Alive Oklahoma State improved its dual winning streak to 24 consecutive matches with a 23-12 victory over Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys last loss was a home loss to Minnesota in the final dual of the 2003-04 season. The Cowboys still have a ways to go before equaling the school record of 76. OSU won 76 consecutive duals over 14 seasons from 1937 to 1951. The longest unbeaten streak in school history is 84. OSU went 82-0-2 over seven seasons from 1959 to 1966. John Smith Nearing Chesbro's Mark Head coach John Smith is approaching Tommy Chesbro's school record for career wins. Smith entered the season with 220 career wins, needing seven to tie Chesbro's mark. After starting the season 3-0, Smith is four wins away from equaling Chesbro. If the Cowboys remain undefeated, Smith would tie the mark at Iowa on Jan. 7 and pass it a week later in the first round of the National Duals.

Earl Jones has an impressive set of accomplishments on the mat: A three-time Kansas high school state champion. A two-time junior college national champion. Ranked third in the 133-pound weight class in an early December 2005 NCAA Division II poll as a wrestler for the University of Central Oklahoma. Earl JonesAll these accomplishments are all the more impressive when you realize that Earl is missing the lower portion of his right leg. Earl was just seven years old when he lost part of his leg after being bitten by a horse. He wears a prosthetic device for walking and other off-the-mat activities, but not during matches. Earl competes on his knees; however, because he is 5'10" and tall in the body, he does not give up anything in terms of height when facing his opponents. Earl was already a wrestler at a club in his hometown of Coffeyville, Kansas at the time of the injury. When asked if there was ever any consideration of giving up the sport, Earl says, "I sat out one season. My folks didn't think I would continue wrestling." When asked if opponents might not have expected much from him before a match, Earl told the Edmond (Oklahoma) Sun, "I'm sure they probably underestimated me at first. It was a little difficult when I first started out. There are advantages to my situation and obviously disadvantages to it." In the same article, Central Oklahoma's head coach David James is quoted as saying, "He's a neat kid. He's just a good, tough ole kid. He's not looking for any special treatment or anything like that. The reason he's successful is he does the right things. He's here at practice and enjoys what he's doing." During a phone interview, Earl reaffirmed that sentiment with this statement: "I'd rather have folks know me as a good, solid wrestler than as the guy with one leg." Success from the Start Earl Jones got an early start in wrestling, taking up the sport at the age of three. Earl found early success, winning eight state kids titles in his native Kansas before his sixteenth birthday. At Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville, Earl won three Kansas state titles at three different weight classes against three different opponents … and just missed claiming the championship his freshman year, placing second. He concluded his high school career with an impressive 148-6 record. Earl Jones won two national junior college titles at Labette Community College (photo by Johnnie Johnson). After high school, Earl stayed close to home for the first two years of college, attending Labette Community College, about thirty minutes from Coffeyville. At Labette, Earl continued his winning ways, compiling a 56-6 record, and bringing home two national junior college titles. As a freshman, Earl won the NJCAA championship at 125 pounds. In his second year, Earl not only won the 133-pound crown, but he also earned Outstanding Wrestler honors to cap off a near-perfect 27-1 sophomore season … and helped lead Labette to a national team title. We're Not in Kansas Anymore For his junior year, Earl transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, a Division II program, knowing that there was already a returning All-American at 133, Jared Henning. "I knew it would be tough," Earl told the Edmond Sun. "Of course Henning is a tough guy. But I thought I could hang right there with him." The two have wrestled each other at least three times outside practice session matches: • In the Blue vs. Bronze intrasquad dual in early November, the incumbent Henning won 3-1 with a takedown in the second sudden victory period. • At the Central Missouri State Open on November 13, Earl got revenge with a 4-3 victory over his teammate. • A couple weeks later, the two faced off yet again, this time in the finals at the Fort Hayes State Open. At this early December tournament in Kansas, Earl gained a 3-2 overtime win. Neither Broncho scored in the one-minute sudden victory period; in the first 30-second tiebreaker, Earl scored an escape … then rode his teammate/opponent in the second tiebreaker to secure the victory. For now, Central Oklahoma will be alternating between Earl Jones and Jared Henning, giving the team incredible power at 133. Taking On Some of the Best in the Midwest Early in his first year at the Division II school, Earl has found himself up against impressive opponents -- including a number of Division I wrestlers -- and served up some surprises along the way. Earl earned third place in his weight class at the Central Missouri State Open -- a one-day tournament with nearly 400 wrestlers from as far away as Stanford -- by defeating Amond Prater of the University of Missouri, 4-2, in the consolation finals. Earl Jones defeated several Division I opponents on his way to a runner-up finish at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha.One week later, at the Kaufman-Brand Open, Earl opened the tournament with a 4-3 win over Oklahoma State's Justin Porter … then followed that by beating Jesse Sundell of Iowa State, ranked thirteenth in the nation, by the score of 9-6. In the quarterfinals, Earl upset eighth-ranked Scott Jorgensen of Boise State … then shut out Iowa State's Nick Gallick, 3-0, in the semifinals. Earl fell just short of the title, losing in the finals to seventh-ranked Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State, 3-2. In a published interview after the Kaufman-Brand Open, Central Oklahoma head coach David James said, "Earl and Heath (Jolley, the Bronchos' 197-pounder) both did a great job for us. The tournament is a meat grinder and it takes a toll on you, but those two guys stepped up and wrestled well." Stepping Up to the Sooners On November 30, Central Oklahoma opened its dual-meet season by hosting the University of Oklahoma at Hamilton Fieldhouse. The wrestlers from Norman were not the most gracious guests; the Sooners (ranked second in Division I at the time) trounced the Bronchos, 32-6, winning half their matches by major decision, and another by fall. It wasn't all bad for the Bronchos, who had two wrestlers win their bouts … one of them being Earl Jones. That night, the UCO 133-pounder secured a solid win over Sooner Trey Blakely. Earl got to work early, scoring a takedown in the first nine seconds of the match. In the second period, Earl got another takedown, then added an escape and a riding time point to make the final score 6-1. "It was a golden opportunity for our guys to wrestle a team of this caliber in the University of Oklahoma," coach James said to the Edmond Sun. "I am very pleased and glad that we picked up two wins. Earl Jones … wrestled hard and did a great job." All this success is paying dividends for Earl -- and his team. In a NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association poll released December 7, Earl was ranked third in the 133-pound weight class … and the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos have moved up to fifth in the team rankings. Looking Forward When asked about his goals for the rest of the season, Earl Jones is straightforward: "I hope to win a national title, and help put my team on top, too. Other than our loss to OU, we're looking pretty tough, doing well at the opens." In looking beyond college, Earl is not interested in a career in freestyle or Greco-Roman competition -- "at least not right now" according to Jones. He would like to use his major -- physical education -- to become a wrestling coach at the high school or college level. "I would want to follow the example of my coaches, and be a strong motivator," says Earl. Earl Jones would like to get into coaching after he is done competing (photo by Johnnie Johnson).Earl sees a lot of benefits of being a wrestler that he would pass along to those he'd coach. "Wrestling teaches you discipline," says Earl. "Once you start something, you stick with it. You don't stop because it's hard." Not at all surprising from a wrestler who's been surprising wrestling fans -- and his opponents -- during his long career, starting as a kid in Coffeyville … then as a junior college phenom … and now as a Division II competitor.

Sophomore C.P. Schlatter has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after helping lead Minnesota to victories over No. 7 Iowa State and No. 19 Nebraska. Schlatter won both of his matches to improve to 16-2 overall and 7-0 in the dual meets. Last Friday vs. the Cyclones, Schlatter upset top-ranked Trent Paulson, 5-4, at 157 pounds. It was the first time a Minnesota wrestler had defeated a top-ranked wrestler in a dual since Jacob Volkmann upset Tyrone Lewis of Oklahoma State on Feb. 22, 2004. Schlatter added a 12-5 decision against Nebraska's Chris Oliver on Sunday. The Golden Gophers are now 7-0 on the season and climbed to No. 2 in the latest W.I.N. Magazine rankings. Minnesota is off until it travels to Greensboro, N.C., for the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30. The Golden Gophers will host Arizona State at the Sports Pavilion on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Despite missing a number of key athletes due to sickness and injury, the Cal State Bakersfield wrestling squad put together an impressive showing, defeating Pac–10 foe Portland State 45–6 in a dual meet at the Icardo Center Wednesday afternoon. The Roadrunners won nine matches, scoring bonus points in all but two, en route to their first dual victory of the season. Overall, it was a day of firsts for Bakersfield, which improved to 1–1 on the season and 1–0 in the Pac–10. Four wrestlers picked up their first collegiate dual meet victories while another scored the first technical fall of his career. Freshman Zack Bigboy (Minneapolis, Minn./Kennedy HS) picked up his first collegiate dual win with a 19–4 tech fall win over Bricen Takabe at 125. That victory was followed by a pair of forfeit victories to freshman Thomas Kimbrell (Dawsonville, Georgia/Dawson County HS)—his first collegiate victory—and junior Matt Schumm (Corona, Calif./ Centennial HS). Junior Brandon Doyle (Ramona HS) kept the streak going by scoring his first collegiate win via tech fall at 149 pounds, with a 19–2 win over Adam Duryee. Senior Carlo Franciotti (San Jose, Calif./St. Francis HS) recorded his first dual meet victory in his four years with the Roadrunners, edging out Kainoa Casco by a 10–7 count at 157. Franciotti, who has been wrestling behind a number of talented athletes at CS Bakersfield, made good on his first chance in the spotlight, scoring a pair of three–point near falls in the final period for the victory. Pin specialist Brian Busby (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) extended his undefeated streak with a pin in just 31 seconds over Chris Feist at 165 pounds. The senior, who is off to a 6–0 start, barely gave the fans time to cheer for the takedown before he was able to get Feist on his back. No. 14–ranked Christian Arellano (Moreno Valley, Calif./Canyon Springs HS) had no trouble in recording a 15–0 tech fall win over Brian Lemmon at 174 pounds, needing just 4:35 to record his sixth victory of the season. Freshman Garth Wara (Madera HS) recorded his first collegiate victory while wrestling up a weight at 184. Wara, who was called upon to replace Brandon Ceremello at 184 pounds, wrestled well against Ben Blessing for the 11–4 win. After the Roadrunners had to forfeit at 197 due to a pair of sick wrestlers, junior Eric Parker (Ramona HS) put an exclamation point on the victory by recording his first pin of the season. Parker took down Steve Fittinger just five seconds into the match, but had trouble turning his opponent through the first period. In the second, Parker scored the escape and quickly took Fittinger down again before recording the fall at 3:36. Portland State, which falls to 1–4 on the season and 0–2 in the Pac–10, faces Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo later Wednesday night. Bakersfield travels to Reno for the annual Tournament of Champions on Sunday (Dec. 18).

Joining us on America's Wrestling Radio talk show this week: Coach Steve Patton of Minnesota's Classic "The Clash" Troy Sunderland -- Head Coach of Penn State Nittany Lions Joe McFarland -- Head Coach the University of Michigan Wolverines Tim Brassfield -- Ex. Director of the Oklahoma City All Sports Association Arno Niemand -- Founder of Body Bar (Bodybars.com) Company celebrates 16 years Randy Lewis and John Rizzutti of InsideTexasWrestling.com Join us LIVE at Takedownradio.com or archived at your convenience throughout the week. This has the earmark of a great show. If you have comments feel free to call in during the broadcast at 866-333-5966. Remember, the show is broadcast from 10 AM to 12 Noon CST NO shows December 24th or December 31st during the holidays. Takedown Radio will present LIVE coverage of the annual Midlands Tournament. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Greg Zafros and a cast of thousands LIVE from Welsh Ryan Arena Dec 29th and 30th. Free! Thanks to our great sponsors. Just a note to thank you, our listeners, for staying with us during the year. We will be with you for more action in years to come. May God bless you and keep you! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all! Scott Casber

Team Rankings 1 Wis.–La Crosse (2-1) 2 2 Wartburg (5-0) 3 3 Augsburg (2-0) 1 4 Brockport State (1-0) 4 5 Luther (3-0) 5 6 College of New Jersey (2-0) 6 7 Elmhurst (1-0) 23 8 Loras (1-1) 7 9 York (Pa.) (5-3) 9 10 Wis.–Stevens Point (6-1) 10 11 Olivet (6-0-1) NR 12 Lycoming (5-2-1) 12 13 Cortland State (1-1) 13 14 Norwich (2-1) 17 15 Johnson&Wales (R.I.) (4-0) NR 16 Ithaca (1-1) 18 17 Springfield (1-1) 8 18 Oswego State (1-1) 14 19 Wilkes (1-1) 19 20 St. John's (Minn.) (0-1) 20 21 Coe (1-0) 21 22 Heidelberg (2-0) NR 23 McDaniel (3-2) 22 24 Augustana (Ill.) (2-1) 24 25 John Carroll (2-1) 11 26 Cornell College (7-3) 16 27 Delaware Valley (2-2) 25 28 Dubuque (6-1) 28 29 Manchester (5-0) NR 30 Roger Williams (6-2) NR Individual Rankings 125 1. Terry Morgan Sr. Loras 2. Brian Dempsey Jr. College of New Jersey 3. Ty Klofta Sr. Ohio Northern 4. Brandon McDonough So. Johnson & Wales 5. Nate Hansen Jr. Luther 6. Tom Gagon Fr. Elmhurst 7. Chris Heilman Sr. Cornell College 8. John Spinner Sr. Oswego State 133 1. Tony D'Ambra Sr. Brockport State 2. Mike Lopez Sr. Luther 3. Justin Hulegaard So. Buena Vista 4. Matt Smith Fr. Johnson & Wales 5. Joe Jewett Fr. Oswego State 6. Zach McKray Fr. Wartburg 7. Derek Goduto Sr. Montclair State 8. Jordan Kolinsky So. Wis.-La Crosse 141 1. Dustin Hinschberger Sr. Wartburg 2. Mike Gaeta Jr. Springfield 3. David Silva Sr. Elmhurst 4. Joel Burdick Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 5. Mike Rohewetz So. Wis-LaCrosse 6. Dan Song Sr. USMMA 7. Paul LeBlanc Fr. Cortland State 8. Mike Conklin Sr. Norwich University (sr) 149 1. Matt Pyle Jr. Luther 2. Jacob Naig So. Wartburg 3. Jared Evans Jr. Augsburg 4. Jason Brew Fr. Olivet 5. Jason Roush Jr. Mount St. Joseph 6. Kyle Forness Fr. Buena Vista 7. Jeff Keske Fr. Augustana (Ill.) 8. Don Ooton Jr. Brockport State 157 1. Ryan Valek Sr. Augsburg 2. Tony Howard Sr. McDaniel 3. Steve Martell So. Johnson&Wales 4. Cole Williams Sr. Dubuque 5. Derek Sikora Sr. Wis.-Eau Claire 6. Corey Murphy Jr. Thiel College 7. Dustin Blevin Sr. Wartburg 8. Tim Palmer Fr. Wis.-La Crosse 165 1. Joe Galante Jr. College of New Jersey 2. Shaheim Bradshaw So. Brockport State 3. Carl Amerine Sr. Wilmington College 4. Tyler Ludwig Sr. Elmhurst College 5. Bobby Gingerich Sr. North Central 6. Jeremy Anderson So. Augsburg 7. Ross Needham Jr. Wis.-La Crosse 8. Jake Rivers Sr. Norwich 174 1. Stephon Sair Jr. Cortland State 2. Josh Chelf So. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Matthias Keib Sr. Ithaca College 4. Ryan Hagerty Sr. Loras 5. Jeff Harrington So. College of New Jersey (so) 6. Andrew Winfield Fr. McDaniel 7. Josh Rupprecht Sr. Elmhurst 8. Jake Beitz Sr. Montclair State 184 1. Duane Bastress Sr. York (Pa.) 2. Ryan Summers Jr. John Carroll 3. Jason Lulloff Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 4. Akeem Carter Sr. Wartburg 5. Mike Troutman Sr. Ursinus 6. Robert Stubbs Sr. Ithaca 7. Dan Willaert Sr. St. John's (Minn.) 8. Robbie Gotreau So. Augsburg 197 1. Matt Loesch Jr. Muhlenberg 2. Dan Fiecke Sr. St. John's (Minn.) 3. Wally O'Connor So. Augsburg 4. TJ Miller So. Wartburg 5. Jason Reilly Jr. Kings College 6. Willie Weiss Sr. Brockport State 7. Nick Calandrino Jr. Ithaca 8. Phil Archer So. Cortland State 285 1. Blake Gillis Jr. Wartburg College 2. Ryan Allen Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Mike Blair Sr. Trinity (Conn.) 4. Mike Hayes Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 5. Tommy Snyder Sr. Lycoming 6. Pat Bennett Sr. Brockport State 7. Bryan Kmetz Jr. Baldwin-Wallace 8. Brett Christensen Sr. Simpson

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- When the 2004-05 season ended the Gettysburg wrestling team finished with nine wins, five more than the previous season. The team will look to build on that improvement throughout the 2005-06 season and finish above .500 for the first time since 1997-98. They are also looking to win Gettysburg's first Centennial Conference (CC) title. "We will be improved this season and our goal is to compete at the conference level," ninth-year coach Troy Dell stated. "I think that is what we've been striving for the past several years and we have some guys now who can help us get over that hump and win a conference championship." There will be more depth on this year's team. "We will fill all of the weight classes this season," said Dell. "We're a little thin in numbers, but outside of that we should be a pretty solid lineup." The team participated in three tournaments early this season and has made strides toward its ultimate goal. The Bullets' solid lineup is led by sophomore Matt Shank (Reedsville, PA/Indian Valley) and freshman Andrew Goldstein (Easton, PA/Easton). Shank moved up to the 149 weight class after finishing second at the CC championships last year at 141. He has seen early season success at the Ithaca Invitational and the Springfield Invitational, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. He currently has an 8-4 record and leads the team in technical falls (1), major decisions (2) and reversals (5). Quickly seeing success at the collegiate level, Goldstein comes from a strong high school program where he placed seventh at the Class AAA state tournament as a senior. He currently leads the Bullets in wins (10), technical falls (1) and takedowns (47). Goldstein, who wrestles at 141, achieved a second-place finish at the King's Monarch Invitational and a fifth-place finish at Ithaca. Senior Mike Pattanite (Tabernacle, NJ/Holy Cross) is following a strong junior campaign in which he finished second at the CC championships in the heavyweight division. This season he has a 7-5 record and marched to a second place finish at the King's Monarch Invitational by pinning three opponents. He leads the team with four pins. Two other Bullets who have had early season success are senior Caleb Seufert (Gaithersburg, MD/Northwest) and sophomore John Leinberger (Great Falls, VA, Langley). Seufert had a second-place finish in the 165 weight class at the King's Monarch Invitational and leads the team in escapes (21). Leinberger, who wrestles at 184, placed sixth at Springfield and pinned three opponents during the tournament. His three pins rank second on the team behind Pattanite. Gettysburg is also relying on the upperclass leadership of seniors Jeff Morgan (Reston, VA/Langley) and Aaron Fuchs (Chester Springs, PA/The Hill School), and junior Alex Emmer (Baltimore, MD/Boys' Latin). Emmer has won four matches, pinning one, while both Morgan and Fuchs have three wins this season. In addition, the Bullets have youth on the roster that is getting great early season experience that will carry over into the CC season. Sophomore Michael Stambaugh (Gettysburg, PA/New Oxford) and freshmen James Stevenson (Wyncote, PA/Cheltenham), Daniel Clarke (Hamilton, NY/Hamilton Central), and Richard Masella (Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank Regional) look poised to have strong CC campaigns. According to Dell, continued success this season will be determined by, "improving, being coachable, taking what is taught in practice and applying it to the mat, and trying to break some old habits and replace them with better ones. That is the way to be successful." Once again, Dell sees Ursinus as the team to beat in the conference. The Bears have won three consecutive conference championships. The coach also thinks McDaniel will be tough again with a strong lineup of middle weight wrestlers. Each CC team brings back a talented squad and last year's addition of Stevens Tech and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) made the conference even more challenging. The fight for this year's title should prove to be one of the best ever and Gettysburg will be in the thick of the CC title hunt. The Bullets open the CC season facing host Washington and Lee in a quad meet on Jan. 7. The team is also anticipating a quad meet against three conference foes at Johns Hopkins with Muhlenberg and Ursinus on Jan. 21. Gettysburg's only conference match at home is against McDaniel on Feb. 1.

A field of 14 teams makes its way to the Flamingo Las Vegas for the third annual Wartburg Desert Duals Monday, Dec. 19. Action begins at 10 a.m Central Standard Time. A complete tournament schedule and list of participating schools is now available while complete results, updated at the end of each round, will be available through the official Desert Duals web site at http://www.go-knights.net/wrestling/dduals/index.html. The Knights, with a No. 2 ranking in tow, are the highest listed team in the tournament in the Dec. 11 National Wrestling Coaches Association/Brute-Adidas Division III top 25. Luther (No. 5), Elmhurst College of Illinois (No. 7), Johnson and Wales University of Rhode Island (No. 15), Coe (No. 21), Augustana College of Rock Island, Ill. (No. 24), and Dubuque (No. 28) round out the ranked schools in the field. The tournament field is even more impressive with a glance at the NWCA/Brute-Adidas Dec. 11 individual weight rankings. There is at least one ranked wrestler at each weight from participating schools at the Desert Duals and four each at 125, 133 and 149. Knights rewind, notes - Wartburg crowned six individual champions Dec. 10 en route to its 11th consecutive Dick Walker Invitational title. Head coach Jim Miller's squad easily out-distanced runner-up Loras 161.5 to 114 for the top spot. The Knights were led by Outstanding Wrestler awardee Dustin Hinschberger and junior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer, each of whom won their third consecutive individual Dick Walker championship. Hinschberger racked up a major decision, a decision, a fall and a technical fall en route to his title, while Gillis claimed a fall, technical fall and match disqualification before sharing the heavyweight crown with junior teammate Brian Borchers of Holstein. Freshman 133-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City, sophomore 149-pounder Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg, freshman 184-pounder Romeo Djoumessi of Waverly, junior 197-pounders T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls and Ryan Phillips of Burlington also added individual titles for the Knights. Wartburg has had plenty of success in the Desert Duals. The Knights finished 4-0 in 2004, losing only eight individual matches during the day, and concluded the inaugural tournament in 2003 with a 4-0 record as well, dropping just four individual matches in the process. The Knights, including making a one step jump to No. 2 in the recent NWCA/Brute-Adidas Division III poll, released Monday, Dec. 12, had seven individuals listed in their respective weights. Hinschberger, a two-time defending national champion, and Gillis, a two-time defending national runner-up, were No. 1 at 141 and heavyweight, respectively. McKray made his debut at 133 with a No. 6 ranking, Naig was No. 2 at 149, senior Dustin Bliven of Columbus Junction was No. 7 at 157, senior Akeem Carter of Waterloo, also a two-time defending national champion, was No. 4 at 184, and Miller debuted at 197 with a No. 4 ranking. The complete poll is available at http://www.intermatwrestle.com/college/rankings/d3ranks0506.aspx. Next up – Wartburg heads east for a dual with Delaware Valley College of Doylestown, Penn., Jan. 6 and the North-South Duals, hosted by Ursinus College of Collegeville, Pa., Jan. 7.

State College, Pa. -- The No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (5-2, 0-2 Big Ten) will trek to Reno, Nev., for the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 18. Action in the team-scored event begins at 9 a.m. local and runs throughout the day with finals set for 8 p.m. Penn State is one of 27 collegiate teams slated to participate and the third-highest ranked of five ranked teams in the field. Penn State is coming off an outstanding two-match road trip that saw it win two duals over two ranked foes by a combined scored of 53-12, winning 16 of 20 contested bouts. The Lions throttled No. 23 Navy 28-6 on Friday, Dec. 9, in a match highlighted by No. 10 James Woodall's 12-3 major decision over No. 14 John Cox of Navy at 149. True freshman David Erwin also made his dual debut with a win at 165. The next night, Penn State trounced No. 25 Penn 25-6. That dual was highlighted by No. 19 Jake Strayer's upset win over No. 6 Matt Valenti at 133. Strayer is a red-shirt freshman. The Nittany Lions improved to 3-2 vs. ranked teams with the two wins and are now undefeated in road duals. Penn State sports four undefeated wrestlers in its dual match line-up. Tim Haas is 8-0 at 125, Strayer is 6-0 at 133, James Yonushonis is 7-0 at 174 and Phil Davis is 6-0 at 197. No. 1 Oklahoma State leads the impressive field in Reno with No. 9 Central Michigan, No. 13 Penn State, No. 14 and Big Ten rival Northwestern and No. 18 Arizona State also participating. Some of the other top Division I programs in the tournament include Boise State, CS-Bakersfield, CS-Fullerton, Fresno State, Pacific, Stanford, Oregon, Tennessee and Wyoming. Penn State will return to action on Friday, Jan. 6, with a 7 p.m. dual at No. 9 Lehigh. The Nittany Lions next home dual is set for Jan. 8 vs. Cornell. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. POSSIBLE LINE-UPS - as of 12/12 #13 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2, 0-2 Big ten) Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/HS 2005-06 Rec. 125 Tim Haas So. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 8-0 133 Jake Strayer Fr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 6-0 141 (#16) DeWitt Driscoll Sr. Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville 5-2 149 (#14) James Woodall Sr. St. Dupont, Pa./Pittston 3-2 157 (#10) Nathan Galloway Jr. State College, Pa./State College 4-3 165 David Erwin Fr. Aurora, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 12-2 174 James Yonushonis Jr. Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola 7-0 184 Neil Bretz Fr. Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley 1-5 OR (#1) Eric Bradley Sr. Plaistow, N.H./Timberlane 0-0 197 (#6) Philip Davis So. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 6-0 HWT Aaron Anspach Jr. Columbia, Pa./Columbia 7-7 (#) All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 11/28 THE COLLEGIATE FIELD for the 2005 Reno T.o.c. (BOLD=RANKED) #18 Arizona State Boise State CS-Bakersfield CS-Fullerton UC-Davis #9 Central Michigan Embry-Riddle Fresno-Pacific Fresno State Lasson JC Newberry Northern State #14 Northwestern #1 Oklahoma State Pacific #13 PENN STATE Portland State Princeton College Southern Oregon Oregon Tennessee Wyoming Upper Iowa Utah Valley State Western Wyoming JC

The season-long journey of two New Jersey high school wrestlers on a collision course with destiny is well documented in Pinned, written by Alfred C. Martino (Harcourt, 2005). Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane come from two very different backgrounds, but struggle with many of the same issues: the daily grind of the wrestling season, making weight, family problems, and the abstract concept of love. Korske, from fictitious Lennings Township, battles the demons of his mother's death while trying to break away from Smalltown, New Jersey. He dreams of wrestling for a Division I college powerhouse, and knows that a state title is his only chance. Fast-paced nightly runs and rage-filled encounters with his coach provide insight into the magnitude of Ivan's intensity. His softer side is revealed when his feelings for Shelley, a lifelong friend, grow stronger. Zane, from Millburn Township, struggles to stay focused on wrestling as his family and social life crumble in front of him. The sour taste of defeat are enough to convince him to reprioritize his life and more clearly focus on what remains of his high school wrestling career. This focus allows Bobby to maximize his potential as a talented wrestler and mature as a young adult. On the mat, Bobby's dedication enables him to ride a red-hot winning streak into the state tournament while taking on the role of Cinderella. The two wrestlers meet in the highly climactic 129-pound New Jersey State Championship final. Martino does a wonderful job of intermeshing the trials and tribulations of high school wrestling while allowing the reader to immerse in the characters. The accuracy with which Martino describes the pains of cutting weight suggest that he wrote the story while sitting on a stationary bike covered from head to toe in a plastic suit. Just as the precision of weight cutting lends credibility to the story, the omission of move-by-move wrestling action allows the reader the imaginative freedom to create the perfect match. Alfred MartinoA connection is made between the reader and the main characters, if only for the short period of time needed to read the book. As a reader, this story brought to the surface many memories that defined a special period in my life in which wrestling alone mattered. Imagining Bobby sitting in a closet with blankets wrapped around him immediately triggered memories of sleepless nights trying to make 103 pounds as a high school freshman. On one particular night, I was able to trick my body into falling asleep, while my psyche mocked me in my dreams with an overflowing bucket of water. The events surrounding Ivan's tumultuous relationship with his coach rekindled controversial episodes involving the administration at my high school. Perhaps Martino would be interested in buying the story rights of a particular southwestern Minneapolis suburb that endured a myriad of better than fiction story lines, including: • An unsuccessful coupe to overthrow the coaching staff • The falling-out of two friends after a season long competition for a spot in the varsity line-up • A team picture scandal involving guns, knives, and baseball bats (cc: David Chase, creator of HBO's The Sopranos) Alfred MartinoThe approach used by Martino to create an aura of invisibility around Ivan Korske struck fear into my heart (and pain into my neck) as I revisited nightmares involving an old nemesis. His identity will remain safe, except to mention that he was roughly the size of Mike Zadick (present day) wrestling at 103 pounds. To this day, I have never felt more outclassed in a match: after toying with me for nearly a minute, this beast sucked the life-breath out of me with a tight-waist and turned me (heels over head) onto my back with a half-nelson. The academic world is still working through the physical laws of nature that were broken during the execution of that single move. This intriguing tale meshes the lives of two young men struggling to reach their goals, and provides the reader with an eye-opening matside view along the way. Most importantly, Pinned brings to life the memories and emotions of anyone who has had the courage to be a successful wrestler.